Madrid have best kids stockpiled - Simeone

"We can play better, for sure, and we will. We both [Real and Atletico] have the same points, so neither is in better or worse shape".

Besides the obvious need to keep up with Valencia and Barcelona, who are 4 and 8 points ahead of them respectively, bragging rights are up for grabs. And on the pitch they will have chances and in this moment they will score.

The Catalan giants Barcelona look set to beat Manchester United - whose protracted interest in the Frenchman was one of last summer's biggest transfer sagas - to the punch. It makes it seem that he doesn't want to be in the photo. "It's a difficult situation - the other day, they took the team photo just as he was leaving to take up his position on the pitch".

"I have been here since the speculation over Fernando Torres [move to Liverpool in 2007] started and they will play where they want to play".

But Koke, Griezmann's team-mate in the Spanish capital, believes the forward is content with life at his current club. We only want players who are 100 percent focused here.

Zidane said he did not want to discuss the fact that Madrid players including Ramos and Casemiro had welcomed the idea of Neymar swapping Paris Saint-Germain for the Bernabeu when talking to media during the international break.

Atletico Madrid welcome city rivals Real Madrid to Estadio Wanda Metropolitano this evening in the first El Derbi showdown to be staged at their plush new 68,000-capacity home.

And the Wanda Metropolitano side strengthened their hand when Griezmann agreed a new deal, doubling his release clause from £85million to £170m.

Atletico Madrid is a Spanish professional football club based in Madrid that plays in LaLiga Santander, commonly known as 'La Liga', which is the top professional association football division in Spain.

Those key players include Luka Modric and Dani Carvajal (Pericarditis) and Zidane confirmed that the duo were ready, saying in his pre-match press conference, "They're both ready".